AD Interviews: Ricky Burdett

"The architect has to continue doing what he or she has done for the last 5,000 years, which is to make objects of great beauty, which uplift the spirits of whoever commissions them or occupies them or sees them. But, increasingly, [the architect] has to take on two other things, which is: to make things in such a way that they are part of an environmental whole; but also to be much more conscious of what the social impacts are of the decisions the architect may make. [...] The architect, unless they want to wipe themselves out and become aesthetes, has to deal with these big issues." - Ricky Burdett

As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, there lies an important question ahead of us. There can be no doubt that cities will grow, but how can we make sure that they grow sustainably and - what's more - equitably?

To get to the bottom of these important questions, we spoke with Ricky Burdett, a professor of Urban Studies at the London School of Economics (where he directs the program LSE Cities), the author of The Endless City, and one of the world's leading experts in urban planning. Not only was he the Chief Advisor of Architecture and Urbanism at the London 2012 Olympics, but he is also a founder of the Urban Age Project, an interdisciplinary investigation into the future of cities. We caught up with Burdett while he was in Chile, invited by CREO Antofagasta to advise on the development of Chile's sprawled-out city of Antofagasta.

Burdett had so much to share about his varied experiences that we've decided to split this AD Interview into two. Part I (above) covers Burdett's conception of what architecture is/should be; the London Olympics; and his strong opinion on the state of architecture in England today.

The second part of this interview, which you can see after the break, explores Burdett's work studying urban environments - including the Urban Age project; the secrets to sustainable, equitable growth (for more on Burdett's take on this, read Jared Green's article "The Rise of the Endless City"); and how architects and policy makers must work together if we are to design cities that serve the greater social and environmental good.